Because the players John Calipari recruits often are top tier NBA prospects, going pro is always “the elephant in the room,” Kentucky’s coach admitted on Friday.

But it’s not something they talk about during the season. Julius Randle could be a top three pick, yet, Calipari says they haven’t discussed it.

“Every player that I’ve recruited, and they will tell you, I say the same thing, Don’t plan on coming to school for one year. You make a huge mistake. But if after one year you have options, that will be up to you and your family,” Calipari said.

“Enjoy the experience, enjoy the college environment, because the rest of it is work, it’s not about family, it’s about business. So enjoy it. But, the one year, if you have options, that’s up to you and your family.”

Calipari called the negative connotation around one-and-done players ridiculous and said he wants to champion a new slogan.

“This is about the kids to me. If you don’t succeed, you can’t proceed. If you do succeed, you can proceed. It’s just how it is.”

That said, Calipari added that he wants the NCAA to go to a two-year rule for various reasons, including getting players more prepared, forcing many to be more realistic about their chances and getting them closer to getting a degree.

He wants the NCAA to pay for disability insurance though, “do other things that if kids are going to stay longer, the NCAA steps up and does stuff so that kids, it’s about them. They’re covered if they stay, they’re helped if they’re here, and when they leave, they still do what they would have done under the old rules.”

DONOVAN TALKS WIGGINS

Florida head coach Billy Donovan sounded a bit like Calipari when discussing young stars and the need for patience.

He believes star players are hyped up too much, with expectations rocketed up far too high. That includes Vaughan’s Andrew Wiggins.

“I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for Andrew Wiggins as a player. I’ve seen Andrew Wiggins play a lot. Andrew Wiggins is no different than any young player. It’s going to take him some time to reach his fullest potential,” Donovan said.

“But it’s interesting in the pre-season how everyone is going to talk about who is going to dump games in the NBA to get Andrew Wiggins. He’s a terrific player, but he’s just not changing a franchise once he gets there. I think what happens sometimes young players coming in, people fail to realize that there’s a growth period that they have to go through and there are some learning curves and there’s some up‑and‑downs.”

SOUR GRAPES?

Jim Boeheim has said he’s happy for Brampton’s Tyler Ennis that he’s going to the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped the Syracuse coach from making some odd comments about players such as Ennis.

Once he became a lottery prospect, it was clear Ennis would leave, but instead of talking his former player up, as he had when Ennis still played for the Orange, Boeheim, perhaps sour because he left, hasn’t exactly been positive.

“I think he is a great college player, but I think physically he could have used another year,” Boeheim said on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Friday. “I think when you get to the NBA, you need to be as physically ready as you can be, so I think Tyler could have benefited from another year, but certainly he is a tremendous player and a very smart point guard.

“I think point guard is probably the hardest position to break into in the NBA … but he has the skill set to be able to do that … it’s just a question of landing in the right place.”

It’s no secret that Ennis, who is just 19, has a lot of physical development to do, but so do most players his age. Plus, his dad, Tony McIntyre, told the Sun last week that Ennis loves lifting weights and has been in the gym ever since Syracuse was eliminated.

BIG BARN, BIG PROBLEMS?

Playing in the cavernous AT&T Center is going to be a major adjustment for all four teams, but the NCAA has chosen to go after record-setting crowds and that means gigantic NFL stadiums likely are here to stay.

Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie said things are improving though, with the teams getting more practice time to adjust then they did in previous years.

The Huskies won the national title at Reliant Stadium in Houston in 2011, with both teams struggling mightily to shoot the ball in the stadium.

Calipari said the Wildcats should be fine, since the team played at the stadium earlier this season, but added things didn’t go well that day. Kentucky lost to Baylor four months ago.

Florida also played at AT&T Center, though it was last season.

AROUND THE RIM

Another day, another award for Creighton forward Doug McDermott. He took home the John R. Wooden Award as player of the year Friday, after leading the NCAA in scoring at 26.7 per game. He’s the first senior to win the award since Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11. Canadians Nik Stauskas, Wiggins and Ennis were amongst the 15 finalists for the award ... Wake Forest has agreed to a deal with Danny Manning, who is leaving Tulsa, where he coached for two seasons ... A Pitino is getting a ring this year after all. Richard Pitino, 31-year-old son of Rick, who coached Louisville to the NCAA title last season, won the NIT on Thursday night, beating Larry Brown and SMU. Minnesota won in Pitino’s first year at the helm. Scarborough’s Maurice Walker grabbed a team-high seven rebound and blocked two shots for the champs.

Support building for kids not jumping to NBA until after two years in school

Because the players John Calipari recruits often are top tier NBA prospects, going pro is always “the elephant in the room,” Kentucky’s coach admitted on Friday.

But it’s not something they talk about during the season. Julius Randle could be a top three pick, yet, Calipari says they haven’t discussed it.

“Every player that I’ve recruited, and they will tell you, I say the same thing, Don’t plan on coming to school for one year. You make a huge mistake. But if after one year you have options, that will be up to you and your family,” Calipari said.

“Enjoy the experience, enjoy the college environment, because the rest of it is work, it’s not about family, it’s about business. So enjoy it. But, the one year, if you have options, that’s up to you and your family.”

Calipari called the negative connotation around one-and-done players ridiculous and said he wants to champion a new slogan.